Prevalence of Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Medical Students in South Korea.
10.4046/trd.2012.73.4.219
- Author:
Da Ho JUNG
1
;
Kyung Wook JO
;
Tae Sun SHIM
Author Information
1. Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. shimts@amc.seoul.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Latent Tuberculosis;
Tuberculin Test;
Interferon-gamma Release Tests, Schools, Medical;
Students
- MeSH:
Humans;
Latent Tuberculosis;
Male;
Prevalence;
Surveys and Questionnaires;
Republic of Korea;
Schools, Medical;
Skin Tests;
Students, Medical;
Thorax;
Tuberculin;
Tuberculin Test;
Tuberculosis
- From:Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
2012;73(4):219-223
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: We investigated the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among medical students in South Korea. METHODS: Students from one medical school, who were in second- or third-year classes before clerkship course, were enrolled for three consecutive years in the study. A standard questionnaire was given to each participant, and tuberculin skin test (TST), QuantiFERON-TB GOLD In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assay, and chest radiography were performed. RESULTS: A total of 153 participants were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the subjects was 21.9+/-0.9 years, 105 (68.6%) were male, and 132 (86.3%) had been vaccinated with Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG). Four students (2.6%) had a history of contact with tuberculosis (TB) patients during medical practice. No abnormal chest radiograph findings were found for any of the subjects. Of the 153 subjects, 23 (15.0%) tested positive for the TST, and 8 (5.2%) tested positive for the QFT-GIT. The agreement between the two tests was determined to be 0.34 using kappa coefficients. Of the four students who had a history of contact with TB patients, only one subject tested positive for both tests, and the other three students tested negative for both tests. CONCLUSION: A low prevalence of LTBI was found among medical students before clerkship course in South Korea.
